


Iron and Flowers

by Daydreamer_83



Category: The Hobbit (Jackson Movies), The Hobbit - All Media Types, The Hobbit - J. R. R. Tolkien
Genre: Adventure, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Erebor Never Fell, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Black Romance, Drama, Dwarf/Human Relationship(s), Erebor, Hot Dwarves, Multi, Post Hobbit, Romance, Royalty, The Lonely Mountain
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-05-28
Updated: 2015-05-28
Packaged: 2018-04-01 16:50:18
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,336
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4027486
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Daydreamer_83/pseuds/Daydreamer_83
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Briseis is forced to leave her home to become nothing more than a piece of property to the twisted King Thorin. But while in Erebor, the young girl comes to find that he was not always so cruel. As she tries to help the Dwarf King steal back his sanity, perhaps Briseis can manage to steal his heart as well. </p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Chapter One 

**The King's Selection**

* * *

 

Briseis stood, completely naked and chained as she glared loathingly at the black gates of Erebor. With all the blaring sounds that assaulted her ears, the one she tried the most to ignore were the sounds of sobbing and wailing that came from the mother's of some of the girls who stood along with her - just as exposed and shackled as she was.

The young girl was at least grateful that her parents weren't here to witness their only daughter being stripped down and herded before the King's palace like an animal waiting to be slaughtered.

She had been dragged from her home, her family and friends less than two days ago, and although they had all been anticipating her departure ever since her 18th birthday, it didn't make the ordeal any easier.

Her mother had cried the whole morning, refusing to eat, acting as though her daughter had died. Her father and younger brother tried to give her tight smiles when they caught her gaze, but the girl saw the sadness in their eyes.

And as her mother had predicted, her daughter was selected along with three others whom she had little or no connection with.

Briseis' heart was heavy, but she still had hope.

She hadn't been officially chosen as one of "privileged" yet and simply refused to believe that the King would take interest in her.

And why should he?

There were 49 other women here along with her, all chosen based on their youth and beauty, many of which had fine golden hair or bright blue eyes. There were even some who possessed bright scarlet locks that shone like fire. Therefore amidst such a wide range to choose from, the girl had confidence that she would remain overlooked and be sent back home to her family.

Many in her town thought Briseis exceedingly beautiful, but she was hardly to be compared to some of the other girls here. She only had simple brown hair that hung below her waist and cold grey eyes; nothing exciting or special.

Just then, the royal guards who stood on the elevated platform in the centre of the street blew their shrill horns and announced the commencement of the Ibùjab.

Which in Khuzdul meant "The Selection."

The sick process was exactly what it implied and took place every three years, forcing girls and women between the ages of 18 and 30 from villages across Thorin's jurisdiction to make their way to the Dwarf King's palace so he could choose the 10 Privileged.

The preliminary screening began in the villages as qualified women lined up in the streets, where they were inspected by royal guards and if chosen, taken to Erebor.

Here, the Dwarf King would pick ten women to live with him in the palace as his property, able to do whatever he pleased with them, whenever he wanted.

And then, when they reached an old age or became heavy or undesirable, the women were deemed as "unfit" to serve the King and were released.

Perhaps this sounded like a pleasant thing, to be let free after years of imprisonment – to be able to go back to one's family and live out the rest of your life in peace. But the King was cruel and jealous; therefore any woman who had served as one of the Privileged, any woman he had ever touched or kissed or made love with, was exiled.

Because if the King could no longer have them, then no one under his rule would be allowed to either.

Suddenly Briseis became overly aware of her bare skin as it melted beneath the scorching afternoon Sun. She felt her breath come in low, shallow gasps and her head began to throb, only just letting the feeling of panic overwhelm her; perhaps she really never was going to see her family again. Maybe she would never get the chance to finish her training as a Healer. Or to find a husband and have family.

The enormous doors to the palace creaked wide and distracted the girl before her vision began to swim.

There in the distance between herself and the doors, she saw the terrible Dwarf King as he made his way closer and closer to the throes of naked women who were waiting silently to be considered, hoping and praying that King Thorin would over look them.

The girl was near the very end of the crowd, but she could still see him clearly over the sea of heads as he climbed the steps to the wooden platform in front of them.

He was taller than most dwarves, and as Briseis had never seen him before, she was taken aback at how handsome he was. The girl had been expecting an overweight, deranged old dwarf with scraggly white hair and leathery skin - but he was nothing of the sort. The King had an attractive, stern, brooding face with dark features and pale blue eyes that seemed to pierce through everything. His long dark hair was streaked with white and fell just below his immensely broad shoulders which were covered beneath a huge gilded cloak.

Perhaps if the girl didn't despise the King she would have admired him, but under her current circumstances, Briseis stood glaring poisonous daggers at the ruler of Erebor.

Just then, the first girl was helped up the stairs by a pair of guards before they shoved her in front of their leader.

She was almost too slim and had long, curly golden hair. The Dwarf King grabbed her wrist and lifted her arm, turning her around to examine her as though she was a piece of meat he was reluctant to purchase.

As she faced the crowd, Briseis saw that she was about 19 or so, and that she was weeping silently.

A wave of hatred and anger swept through her, but all she could do was stand and watch.

Finally after taking another look at the golden haired girl's face, the King slightly shook his head and the guards immediately wrapped a cloak around the hysterically blissful woman as they unlocked her shackles and escorted her into the silently watching crowd.

The second woman was older, probably in her mid-twenties, and curvier than the last. King Thorin unabashedly reached out and squeezed one of her breasts in his enormous hand, seeming pleased with how it felt, before he turned her around to inspect her further.

A few more seconds passed before he spoke.

"Take her."

The King's voice was deep and commanding and as Briseis watched, the girl's entire figure seemed to slump before another pair of guards covered her with a cloak, unchained her, and led her towards the palace doors.

There, two women dressed in white - presumably from previous Selections - flanked her on either side before all three disappeared from view.

The same thing went on for another hour or so and Briseis' hopes were now high, as he had selected another 8 women; two with scarlet locks and sea green eyes, three with golden hair and slender bodies and two with jet black tresses and long, limber legs.

Only one left.

One more, and there was still about a dozen or so women to go before the girl with the steel grey eyes had her turn.

She was almost smiling and thinking of how happy her parents would be to see her again. She thought of things she would do differently once she got back home, of people she would be more patient with. Never again would she take any of her family or friends for granted because now she knew what it would feel like to lose them. She even swore to never doze off while her aunt taught her the difference between all the herbs and plants Healers used to cure a variety of different ailments.

But more time went by, and the King had rejected another 6 women.

Then another, and another, and another were sent off into the crowd, leaving only one girl before Briseis.

Her heart was hammering loudly in her chest, almost breaking out of her ribcage as the guards grabbed the woman before her by the elbows and led her up the platform.

She was pretty, with sandy coloured hair and a curvaceous figure. She was short but walked with her head held high and as the King examined her, Briseis felt her stomach sink lower and lower with each passing second that he spent scrutinizing her, until it dropped completely as dwarf shook his head.

Almost instantly, she felt a pair of arms on either side shove her forward, the chains around her ankles clacking loudly as the girl stared straight ahead of herself. Not daring to think as she kept looking at the walls of the palace absent mindedly until she reached the steps of the platform.

Briseis took a deep breath and told herself to be strong, she was a feisty little creature and had gained many pounds in muscle over the years helping her father cut and haul wood for the hearth. The girl could fend for herself in most situations and told herself again to take courage in that knowledge.

When she took that first step, her legs were wobbling slightly, but as she kept moving, her gait became steadier and steadier and finally she came to stand before the King.

He was even more handsome up close, but Briseis was consumed by an absolute loathing and hatred for him to think on it too long.

She stared defiantly into his unreadable icy blue eyes and registered the smirk that played upon the dwarf's lips.

Without giving her a chance to wonder what the smug smirk had been for, she gasped as his huge hands unexpectedly slid their way up and down the sides of her stomach. The calluses on his palms and fingers felt foreign on her skin and suddenly she was reminded of everything she had to lose, everything those 9 other women had already lost, all because of this demented dwarf.

An indescribable anger began to swell up inside her, causing the girl to make the biggest mistake of her life.

She shoved the dwarf's hands off of her and without thinking or realizing the consequences of her actions, Briseis spat on the King.


	2. Privileged

Almost in slow motion, Briseis watched as the spit flew through the air. Immediately cursing her own stupidity as soon as the gob had left her mouth and before it landed with a small splash, right on King Thorin's left cheek.

There was a moment where it seemed everyone - including the two standing atop the platform - forgot how to breathe.

Dead silence settled over the crowd before commotion broke out.

The girl with the steel grey eyes was immediately grabbed by about a dozen royal guards, half with their swords unsheathed as they aimed pointedly at Briseis, the other half pushing her gruffly to her knees. She had more or less been expecting the reaction of the guards, however, she hadn't been anticipating the tumultuous cheering that had erupted from the crowd.

Apparently she wasn't the ony one who loathed the King; his own subjects were cheering for Briseis as though she'd just flogged a murderer. Unfortunately, there was little time for the effect of her actions on the citizens of Erebor to bring her satisfaction as she looked up to stare at the psychotically calm Dwarf King.

The girl actually found herself wishing he was angry. Instead, he simply stared down at her with his icy eyes - his face completely blank as he held up a hand, ordering his guards to stand down before wiping Briseis' spit off his face.

She watched, barely noticing the guards as they retracted their swords and took a step back. Her heart was beating frantically with fear while the King examined the palm of his huge hand where her saliva was now smeared and shining in the sun.

She was a foot and a half taller than the dwarf, her height providing a sense of security. But kneeling before him now as he loomed over her, the girl felt nearly paralyzed with fear.

She tried taking a deep breath and reassured herself that no matter how terrifying, the King was flesh and blood - just like her. Slowly rising from her knees, she looked down at **him** now, suddenly realizing just how young he was. 

His hair was streaked with white, but there were only faint traces of wrinkles on his otherwise smooth skin, making her wonder what had happened to make him so sick and twisted so soon.

And then without even registering the King's movement, he wound up and smacked Briseis across the face with a force that made the girl's head nearly come off her shoulders.

Her entire body was thrown to a side, her eyes watering and her head ringing as she heard the resounding echo of the Dwarf's blow. She stumbled over again, almost tripping on her shackles, but the girl simply refused to fall down. Not in front of this animal.

She was hunched over trying to regain her composure, blinking rapidly at the floor of the wooden platform to get rid of the black spots swimming in front of her eyes. A white hot stinging sensation beginning to engulf the entire side of her face.

Before Briseis could straighten herself out, she felt a fist knot into her hair, yanking the girl upright so violently that she thought her scalp had been ripped off. Thankfully though, the pain was fleeting, the dwarf letting go once he brought her to face his pale blue eyes.

She fought his grip at the back of her skull, thrashing and trying to hit him with her elbows as she glared down at him with utter fury, but his fist never loosened and instead he pulled her into him as she continued to struggle.

Then a sick smirk twisted upon the Dwarf's lips and Briseis felt something hard begin to poke her left thigh. It took the girl a few seconds to register the sensation, nearly throwing up when she realized that it was the King's manhood. This deranged ruler found pleasure in watching her suffer and squirm.

"You have some fight in you," King Thorin said quietly, his voice was rich and deep, commanding the attention of everyone around him, but he simply stared into the girl's grey eyes with an unreadable expression in his own, leaning in closer to her. "I like that."

In spite of herself, Briseis went rigid and tried desperately to ignore the growing stiffness on her thigh which made her stomach heave. The Dwarf stared at her for a few more seconds in silence before he turned his head to the throng of bewildered guards.

"Take her."

It was funny how those two little words were enough to make the girl's entire spirit shatter, and in that split second before the guards approached her, she saw her mother's beaming face as she made breakfast in the kitchen, her father's stern look whenever she broke the rules and her little brother's innocent smile when she pinched his cheeks.

She closed her eyes and held the images there, burning their faces into her memory as she was never going to see any of them again. 

Despite the scorching heat, Briseis had never felt colder in her life, shivering when the guards approached her with a white cloak.

But before they had a chance to cover the woman, the King spoke again.

"No - leave her the way she is." The girl's heart sank even lower, though she could barely register what was being said through the numbness which flooded her veins. And when the Dwarf spoke again, she could almost hear the smirk in his voice. "Have one of the others drop her off to my chambers... I'm going to teach her some manners."

And with that the guards grabbed a empty minded Briseis and led her towards the prison where she would rot away under the demented command of King Thorin.

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please remember to leave your lovely comments! :-)


	3. A Close Call

Briseis was shivering, her smooth white skin riddled with goose bumps as a sombre looking woman dressed in white led her down the cavernous halls of the Kingdom of Erebor.

The palace was surprisingly bright and airy, sunshine glinting upon the hundreds of jewels that were encrusted along the vast blue walls.

But the girl barely noticed her surroundings, her mind blank as all she let herself think about was the throbbing pain that coursed through the right side of her face.

She was still naked and chained continuing to follow the woman to King Thorin's chambers. Numb with shock or not, she couldn't help but feel the bewildered stares upon her as people gathered in small groups to whisper and point at the girl - who at this point didn't even bother covering herself.

A sudden shiver ran down the girl's spine at the abrupt recollection of the Dwarf's stiff flesh grazing against her bare thigh; the thought had snuck up on her like a predator in the dark and Briseis' stomach heaved as she let her guard down for a split second, thinking about what the King would do to her when he had her alone...

"Goh straight don ze corridor- ferst dhoor to your left." The woman's exceptionally bizarre accent gratefully distracted Briseis as she turned to take a closer look at her escort. The woman was young, probably in her late 20's with long auburn hair and minty green eyes under a pair of thick, straight brows. Her sharp nose and well defined cheekbones were spattered with freckles, the smattering of little dots only adding to her unique beauty. Where on Earth was this woman from and how long she had been trapped here for?

"Ghood luck."

The woman stared pointedly at her and gave a small, sad smile before she turned around to leave.

Briseis sighed.

It was probably not a good sign if another one of the Privileged felt pity for you.

The girl was left with a heavy heart as she stood facing a pair of oak doors with brass handles as big as her head.

Reluctantly she pulled them open as best as she could manage with her shackles and waddled along through the opening.

Immediately Briseis felt a difference in the air as the door slammed shut behind her; it was dank and musty in the narrow corridor and there were hundreds of flickering candles that lit the sides of the ancient looking walls.

The flames cast foreboding shadows across her path and the girl had to take a deep, shuddering breath to calm her nerves.

How pathetic she must seem; cowering - naked and alone in the dark.

She was a fighter, and in that very moment, she promised to make every waking moment for Thorin a living hell until he decided to kill her or let her go.

With that thought in mind, Briseis held her chin up high and trudged along slowly, the shackles and chains around her ankles clanking loudly in the dead quiet of the eerie corridor, her previous resolve fading faster with every step towards the end of the all.

After what seemed like eons, the girl finally found herself in front of a huge iron door with a single crystal handle which hung right in the centre.

Unsure of what to do, she unsteadily reached out and grabbed a hold of the smooth, cold handle, letting it drop back down with a resounding thud that seemed to reverberate along the stone walls.

After what seemed like a few seconds of cringing in silence, the girl with the grey eyes carefully pushed upon the heaving iron door, all the while holding her breath as her heart beat frantically in her chest.

She half expected King Thorin to be waiting behind the door to attack her, but as she swung it wide, she could see nothing except a strange yellowish hue emanating from inside the room.

Briseis slowly made her way into the King's enormous chambers; and it was like she had stepped into a dragon's lair.

Every single square inch of the room was littered with gold, jewels, precious metals, trinkets and ornaments of all kinds. They weren't fashioned in any particular way, but simply strewn upon the giant four poster bed in the centre of the room, or in great heaping mounds across the stone floor. There were even pearl necklaces and sapphire pendants dangling from some of the many torches upon the walls.

The girl tried to keep her jaw off the floor at the sight of all the marvellous riches, wondering what on earth one dwarf could possibly do with all of this treasure. In fact, she was so entranced by the gold that she didn't even notice the shadowy figure which had crept up behind her.

Suddenly, something on the floor in front of Briseis glinted, catching her eye instantly.

It was an amethyst.

It glittered beautifully - purple and violet in the firelight- as she knelt down carefully in an attempt to examine the stone further.

Enthralled by the shining gem, she got down on all fours, her face close to the ground. She had never seen something so wonderful, only drawings and pictures of such beautiful stones.

Then, as if to remind her of the cruel reality of her circumstances, she felt a huge hand close around the back of her throat and she cursed herself for letting her guard down, knowing it was useless to struggle.

"How I will enjoy taking you like this. Bent over and on all fours, just like the animal you are." Thorin tightened the grip around the girl's neck and Briseis grit her teeth – if she ever got the chance, she would stab him through the heart. 

The Dwarf released his grip on her throat only to knot a fist into her hair, painfully yanking the girl up off the ground by her long, dark tresses and bringing her to face him.

His eyes seemed dark even though the yellow hue of gold reflected like a sick, swirling cloud in his blue irises as he glared at her hungrily.

"Try it and I will castrate you." Briseis sounded much braver than she felt, surprised at the steadiness of her voice despite her racing heart, and watched as Thorin's lips curled into a twisted smile.

To her utter disgust - the girl found her stomach fluttering at just how handsome the King truly was - at how normal he seemed when he smiled. 

Even if there was a hint of delusion behind his grin.

"What charm you have. And to think, I was going to pick you based on beauty alone." The King was sneering, and he let one of his hands slide slowly down her back until he reached the dip in her spine. The King's touch leaving a hot trail across the girl's skin as she shifted uncomfortably, unable to look away from the dwarf. His eyes silently dared Briseis to protest against his touch as his hand roamed further down her body, slowly inching his hand toward her backside. 

"Are you not going to spit on me?"

His expression was unreadable, his voice steady and calm, and unlike before, there was not a touch of sarcasm in his words as he stared at the girl with burning blue eyes.

 Her ears filled with the sound of pumping blood, unable to move, unable to blink as his fingers stopped tracing their way down her rear.

The fist at the back of her head tightened painfully before the Dwarf began to speak, his eyes never leaving hers.

"You see, I did not find it very amusing when you dishonoured me in front of my subjects like that. Did you?"

And for some reason beyond the girl's comprehension, instead of behaving or cooperating like any other normal person would have, a small smile played across her lips as she answered.

"I thought it was fucking hilarious, My Lord."

There was a moment of complete silence and Briseis rejoiced in her small victory against the terrible dwarf king, but the happiness was short lived.

She suddenly felt the King lock his grip in her hair before she was flung across the room, hitting her forehead on the edge of the wooden bed frame.

Stars swam in front of Briseis' eyes as she tried to sort through the blinding agony that threatened to split her skull open. It took every ounce of self control not to cry out in pain, but she managed somehow to keep silent.

She sat there for a few seconds in a dishevelled heap, unable to see properly through the tears that stung her grey eyes before groggily pulling herself together. 

One hand clutching her head while she tried to pull herself up off the cold, hard, ground with the other; determined not to let Thorin see her pain.

But the Dwarf King simply strode along calmly and grabbed her by the neck again, pulling her up by the throat and pushing her onto the bed, face down.

"Lift up your backend."

The girl's head felt as though it were stuffed with cotton, throbbing loudly in her ears, but she could hear the murderous tone in the Dwarf's voice.

A second had barely passed when a smooth, hard palm connected with her rear. 

The slap echoed across the room as Briseis felt her face flush with the stinging sensation on her back side. 

"I will not repeat myself." 

The girl reluctantly lifted her bottom half up into the air when Thorin began unravelling the chains that tied her ankles together; making her think for a split second that he was going to release her.

But then she felt him spread her legs apart and tie each end of her shackles to a thick wooden post on his bed.

Her grey eyes began to water again, not with pain or fear or hopelessness, but with anger. She tried to move her legs, to close them together, but there was no use.

There was a moment of silence as the Dwarf stepped away from Briseis, fiddling with something while humming a tune happily as though he was taking a stroll through the garden.

Then she heard the sound of clothing fall to the ground.

The girl's stomach gave way and her breathing became heavy.

"What is your name?" The King's voice was gruff and commanding, but when he did not get an answer from her, he simply pressed his bare, rigid manhood on the back of her thigh, slowly stroking himself as he watched her cringe.

"B-Briseis." The girl's head was spinning, whether it was from the hit to the head or the fact that she was about to have Thorin's member shoved inside her, she couldn't tell.

"You see, I'm trying to decide on how to punish you..." The Dwarf King paused and suddenly she felt a pair of thick, calloused fingers press up against her womanhood and before she could stop herself, she began to thrash violently.

Thorin simply laughed, it was a hollow sound that boomed like thunder in the dim room as he subdued Briseis, placing an elbow at the base of her spine to keep her from moving.

"Should I make you scream? Or beg for mercy?"

Briseis felt a cold bead of sweat trickle down her forehead at his words, frantically trying to think of an escape. His voice was as if he were discussing the weather when the girl suddenly felt his fingers return to where they had been, massaging the small spot of bliss between her legs in slow little circles.

The girl tried desperately to keep her mind off of the wonderful sensation that seemed to build down there, but despite her efforts, the King's fingers were soon wet with her pleasure.

The moisture seemed to arouse the Dwarf, ripping a deep growl from his within his throat -like some sort of feral animal - when she felt him press his swollen member against her opening.

Briseis grit her teeth and screwed her eyes shut, disgusted with herself at allowing her body to cave into the sick pleasure forced upon her.

"Perhaps I'll just fuck you for now and save the punishment for later."

And just as he was about to shove his manhood inside of Briseis- just as she was about to scream - there was a loud, resounding bang on the door and the Dwarf stopped.

For a second the girl thought her heart had finally exploded, but there was a foreign voice by the door she could barely hear followed by an inaudible bark from the King; her head was spinning and she was covered in a thin sheen of sweat.

Whatever he had said, it must have been permission for whoever was knocking to come in, as the iron door slowly creaked open.

"What do you want?" Thorin snapped.

Whoever it was did not respond for a while. They must have been caught off guard by the bizarre sight before them - a naked girl with her legs spread apart, chained and face down on a mattress while a fully erect King Thorin stood behind with his pants down, just about to enter her.

"Speak!"

"M-my King, there is urgent news from Lake Town; Bard is here to see you." 

The speaker was male, his voice was light and gentle and Briseis thanked the stars and everything else she could think of for sending whoever this was just in time to save her.

The Dwarf did not respond, he simply sighed in frustration and moved his member from between the shaking girl's legs before he stepped away from her and picked up his breeches.

He made his way out of the room without so much as a second thought to the woman who was tied up in his bed. 

And with that, she heard the heaving door slam shut and both of their heavy footfalls fade down the hall until they finally disappeared.

Then, despite all of her strength and courage, Briseis began to weep uncontrollably.

 


	4. Nightmares

The girl - exhausted, bruised and beaten - had cried herself to sleep after what felt like hours of being forgotten in the King's chambers.

Briseis was having a wonderful dream; she was back in her tiny home, laying comfortably on the floor as she watched her brother play with his wooden toy horse. The smell of dinner was wafting through the air as her mother cooked and hummed a tune; her father standing over the bookshelf wondering which story to read next.

Everything was at peace.

**_Knock knock_ _knock!_**

"I'll get it!" Jax shouted happily dropping his horse in excitement as he ran to the door, big blue eyes gleaming with excitement. Briseis sighed as she rested her chin in her hand, staring off into the fireplace at the far corner of the living room, a content smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. It was probably Auntie Nora with her hundreds of sacs and pouches filled with herbs and ointments. Today was a lesson day.

**_BAM!_ **

The girl whipped her head around at the same time she heard her mother scream, her grey eyes widening in horror as she saw Jax laying in a motionless heap on the ground, already a large pool of blood seeping into the wooden floor around his body. Briseis tried to pull herself off the ground to head for the large axe that always hung somewhere in the kitchen, when she found that she was unable to move. A shadowy figure stood in the doorway above Jax, the only thing visible was a gleaming sword covered in blood.

She turned to her father and tried to shout for help, but all that escaped was a hoarse croak.

The girl was panicking, sweating and shaking with terror. What was happening? Why couldn't she move? Why couldn't she speak, damnit! Her family needed her help.

Again Briseis tried to lift herself off the ground with a great heave, but it was as though her body had melted into the floor.

She watched helplessly as her father made his way over to protect her mother, a terrified look in the man's grey eyes as he held the feeble fireplace poker between his wife and the shadowy figure in the doorway.

As though recognizing the desparate move as a challenge, the figure stepped over Jax's body and into the small home.

The girl's stomach gave way at the sight of King Thorin.

The tall dwarf made his way over to Mr. Ocherfell, who made one gallant attempt at defending his wife by swinging at the intruder widly, a cold light gleaming in his already defeated eyes. 

The King nearly laughed at the pathetic display, simply raising a muscular arm and in one fluid movement, slitting her father's throat.

Both women screamed, although only her mother's blood curdling shriek was heard as blood splattered across the room. Alexander Ocherfell fell to his knees with a gurgled choke, thick reddish liquid spilling from his mouth and wound before he died.

Briseis' could barely breathe, tears streaming freely down her cheeks as she frantically tried to move, to scream at her mother to run.

But of course she could only lay there as the Dwarf King grabbed her hysterical mother by the hair and dragged her in front of him, the floral apron she wore covered in her husband's blood.

Please, look at me! Take me instead! The girl felt like she was screaming at the top of her lungs, her throat hoarse and raw from the effort, but there was no sound to accompany her desperate shrieking.

Mrs. Ocherfell tried to fight the dwarf's grip but Thorin was simply too strong, and lifted his sword to her mother's neck.

And then suddenly, Thorin's icy blue eyes locked directly onto Briseis. After what felt like an eternity of being invisible, the King's awareness of her simply froze the girl to the spot. A smile curled up on the dwarf's lips as he pressed the gleaming metal blade into the wailing woman's neck.

"What's the matter?" Thorin asked calmly, his deep voice ringing in the air as he continued to stare at the girl. Briseis felt paralyzed, she couldn't even think straight as his blue eyes penetrated through her flesh, blood and bone.

"Get up." The dwarf demanded, his sword still pressed up against her mother's throat. The girl felt a cold bead of sweat trickle down her back.

"Get up!" Thorin yelled, his voice suddenly changing. Briseis looked at him in confusion and terror, unable to move an inch.

"Get up!"

The girl gasped loudly as her grey eyes flew open to greet the face of a strange man.

Briseis began to scream, and despite the situation, nearly peed with joy at the sound of her own voice. The man covered her mouth with his hand and looked around frantically as he tried to shush her.

"Shh! No! I'm here to help you!" He hissed, batting at her with his free hand. The man's olive brown eyes were wide with worry as he took another look behind himself.

Realizing he wasn't the King, Briseis stopped screaming at once and he let go of her mouth. She was panting like a dog into the slick bedsheets, still shaken by the memory of her nightmare as she took a deep shuddering breath in an attempt to calm herself.

It was just a dream, it was just a dream, it was just a dream. She screwed her eyes shut and kept chanting those words until she felt her heartbeat returning to normal. The girl was so preoccupied with her thoughts, she barely felt the cool sensation of cloth being thrown over her naked, chained figure. Once realizing what it was, she felt an overwhelming wave of gratitude towards the stranger. But it was short lived.

Briseis was not naïve enough to trust anyone here without getting to know their intentions first. "Why are you helping me?" The girl asked, surprised at the steadiness of her voice as she tried to eye the stranger suspiciously; he was too short for a man, yet did not have the long hair or even beard of a dwarf.

He was fiddling around with a set of keys on a rusted chain when he looked up at her from beneath his bangs in surprise. "Well, aren't you charming?" He scoffed as he selected a single key from amidst the others and moved towards the girl's ankles.

"Who are you?" Briseis asked, her tone cold and blunt. If this man was going to lead her to a place worse than this, then he'd have to do it with her foot shoved up his backside. She heard the stranger sigh as he unlocked her right ankle from the thick iron shackles before answering.

"You know a simple thank you would suffice." There was a short pause before the girl muttered her thanks and the man laughed. "You know I could just leave you here and let Thorin return to finish-"

"NO!" Briseis' heart nearly dropped out from her stomach at the mention of the King's name. "No...please." The young girl was surprised at how desperately afraid she had become at the thought of the dwarf.

The man stopped and silence filled the room. "I'm sorry that you were selected..." The stranger said barely above a whisper as he continued to free her from the shackles. Briseis' eyes began to sting with tears as she remembered her family, taking solace in the fact that they were still safe and sound, alive and healthy back home. The girl fought back the moisture in her eyes at their memory, knowing she would never see them again. She also knew that they would want her to be strong, to defend herself - not to become a blubbering mess after a single bad dream.

The girl shut her steel grey eyes and took a deep, steadying breath; the thought of her family giving her renewed strength and courage as she braced herself for the remainder of her time as one of the Privileged.

"What's your name?" Asked the man suddenly as he unravelled the chains from around the bed post. Not having ten pounds of iron strapped to one's feet was an enormous relief, and the wonderful sensation momentarily distracted her from his question. "If you don't wish to tell me tha-"

 "Briseis."

The man paused for a second before he came to stand beside the girl, carefully adjusting the sheet so that he could turn her over without exposing her flesh. She stared up at him for a few seconds, watching him as he unlocked the cuffs on her wrists.

Something about him was comforting to the girl, but perhaps that was simply because he hadn't tried to rape her. Briseis studied his slight stubble and handsome features for a few more seconds before his face contorted with horror.

The girl immediately sat up, regretting it immensely as her head spun violently.  She somehow managed to concentrate on the man's face until the spinning slowed down and then ceased all together. Following his gaze to her wrists, she saw that the iron shackles had burnt parts of her skin and cut into others.

It looked terrible, but the girl didn't feel the pain. She simply stared at her deformed flesh and smiled ruefully at the scars she knew those burns were going to leave - permanent shackles.

"Are you alright?" The stranger asked cautiously, staring intently at the girl's face. He was trying to gauge her reaction as he gently took a seat beside her on the bed. Briseis simply looked at him and nodded once, not able to think of what to say and afraid that her unhinged emotions would betray her if she did.

The man's feathery brows were furrowed and he looked at her obvious disbelief.

She gave him a pointed, weary look and cast her grey eyes down to her lap before she felt them begin to brim with moisture. Damn her traitor tears!

The man reached over slowly and carefully cupped her chin in his hand, bringing her to look up at him. "Hey, come on now," he said gently, giving her a small, sad smile as he pushed a few loose strands of hair from her face and examined the bruise on her forehead. "I can tell you're a fighter. Besides, it's not so bad here once you get used to the reek of Thorin."

Briseis let out a choked laugh and tried rubbing the tears from her cheeks. She really did feel pathetic for crying but it was as though she had no control over her emotions at this point.

"Here, put these on and let's leave these chambers," the man reached into his tunic and pulled out a neatly folded white dress and handed it to the girl. She took the garment at once, ecstatic at the thought of being able to wear clothes again, as the stranger stood and turned his back to her. But as eager as she was to pull the dress over her head, she waited.

"What is your name, if I may ask?" The man peeked over his shoulder at her and smiled slightly before answering.

"Kíli."

Briseis returned the smile and he turned away once more, bobbing up and down on the balls of his feet as he waited for her to get dressed. She slipped the white silk over herself, its smooth material amazing on her chaffed skin. Enjoying her renewed sense of modesty, she grabbed the bed post to steady herself and stood up just as Kíli turned around once more.

He was a couple of heads shorter than she was, but still placed a hand behind her in support as she began to wobble slightly after walking a few feet, knees threatening to give way beneath her at any moment.

Briseis frowned and looked to the dwarf – it was apparent from his height that he  _was_  a dwarf, even though he did not resemble one. "Do you have any Helfalas leaves?" She asked, remembering that the bright red plant was good for reducing the effects of shock.

Kíli pursed his lips as he pondered for a few seconds before nodding. "I think there might be some in one of the east halls," he said, putting the girl's arm around his shoulder as they hobbled out of the King's chambers together.

The iron door slammed shut and Briseis nearly threw up with the overwhelming sense of relief as the two made their way slowly out of the eerie, flame lit corridor.

Just as the two came to the main doors, the girl stopped and looked down at the dwarf. Kíli halted and flicked his olive brown eyes upwards, a look of confusion painting over his dark features. "Are you feeling faint?"

Briseis shook her head. "Thank you," the girl said with as much gratitude as she could possibly convey in two words, for this complete stranger had saved her twice now from a fate that she could not bring herself to think of. The handsome young dwarf smiled, his eyes lighting up as he nodded once before reaching up and pulling the doors open.

The fresh air that hit Briseis was wonderful as was the light of the setting sun that came in from the high windows far up along the stone walls; what was not so great however was the figure that stood in the doorway directly in front of her and Kíli.

"And where do you think you're going?" The King asked in his deep, booming voice, not seeming surprised in the slightest. Instead, a smug smile came to play upon his lips as he stared fixedly at the girl with the steel grey eyes whose heart had just stopped beating.


End file.
